The Tal Memorial event in Moscow is eagerly awaited on the chess calendar, not only for the immensely strong ten-player classical tournament but for the World Blitz Championship held immediately afterward. This year's turnout for the main event boasted 10 of the world's top 18 ranked players, headed by Armenia's Levon Aronian (28) and Russia's Vladimir Kramnik (35). Aronian is the leading player of the chess generation after the group of players (including Kramnik) who were dominant in the last decade. He has pushed his world ranking up to number three in recent months with a string of strong results and he carried this form into Moscow. He finished in a three-way tie for first with two younger players who are similarly putting pressure on the old guard: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (25) of Azerbaijan and Sergey Karjakin (20) now based in Russia. In a tense finish, Mamedyarov was leading with three wins and five draws, but lost his final game to Israeli veteran Boris Gelfand, allowing the other two to catch him. Final scores: Aronian, Karjakin & Mamedyarov 5½/9; Alexander Grischuk (Russia), Hikaru Nakamura (USA) & Wang Hao (China) 5; Kramnik 4½; Gelfand 3½; Alexei Shirov (Spain) 3; Pavel Elijanov (Ukraine) 2½. Aronian then went on to take out the 20-player World Blitz Championship on 24½/38.
Today's game from the 8th round of the Tal Memorial features a clash of generations with Karjakin(White) taking on Kramnik's once mighty Petroff Defence in a game worthy of Tal himself.
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 --- An increasingly popular approach to the Petroff is to make this challenge on the black knight and use the resulting lead in development to launch a dangerous kingside assault. 5.--- Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 O-O 8.Qd2 Nd7 9.O-O-O Ne5 10.h4 --- The start of the kingside pawn storm. 10.--- c6 11.c4 --- A useful move to inhibit counterplay – increasing central control, stopping ...Qa5 and blocking the a2-e6 diagonal. 11.--- Be6 12.Ng5 Bf5 The pawn grab 12 ... Nxc4 13 Qd3 Bxg5 14 hxg5 g6 opens the h-file and weakens the dark squares around the black king. 13.Kb1 Re8 14.f3! h6 15.Be2! --- Part of the plan conceived by the previous move - to play g2-g4 and storm the black king. Accepting the sacrifice 15 ... hxg5 16 g4 Be6 17 hxg5 would be too dangerous given the ready access of heavy pieces to the h-file e.g. 17... Qc7(?) 18 f4 Nxc4 19 Bxc4 Bxc4 20 Qh2 f6 21 g6! Kf8 22 Qh8+ Bg8 23 Rh7 Bd8 24 Rdh1! Rxe3 25 Qxg8+! Kxg8 26 Rh8#. 15.--- d5 16.g4 Bg6 17.f4 dxc4 18.Qc3! Nd3! 19.f5! --- Both players are channelling the spirit of Tal: “They can only take them one at a time!”. Here both 19 Qxc4? Nxb2! 20 Kxb2 Bf6+ 21 Kb1 Qe7! and 19 cxd3 Bxg5 20 hxg5 Rxe3 give Black dangerous counter-chances. 19.--- Bxg5 20.fxg6 Rxe3 21.gxf7+ Kf8 22.Qxc4 Rxe2? Missing two possible chances to hang on: a) 22 ... Bxh4 23 Bxd3 Bf6 trying to keep the white pieces out or b) 22 ... b5!? 23 Qxc6 Rxe2 24 hxg5 Rc8! 25 Rxd3 Rxc6 26 Rxd8+ Kxf7 27 c3 hxg5 with a worse but possibly defendable ending. Now the remaining minor pieces come off leaving the black king in a draught. 23.hxg5 Qxg5 This time 23... b5 24 Qb3! Qd5! 25 Qxd5 cxd5 26 Rxd3 Kxf7 27 gxh6 gxh6 28 Rxd5 is worse than the ending in b) above. However the alternative is slaughter. 24.Qxd3 Qe3 25.Qh7 Qe4 26.Qg8+ Ke7 27.Qxg7 Qxc2+ 28.Ka1 Rf8 With b2 defended Black has no ammo left. 29.Rhf1 Rd2 30.Rfe1+ Re2 31.Qc3! --- Threatening 32 Rxe2+ Qxe2 33 Re1 to which there is no answer.. 31.--- Kxf7 32.Qf3+ Resigns
New generation ascendant at Tal Memorial
Problem: White to play and mate in 5.
The Tal Memorial event in Moscow is eagerly awaited on the chess calendar, not only for the immensely strong ten-player classical tournament but for the World Blitz Championship held immediately afterward. This year's turnout for the main event boasted 10 of the world's top 18 ranked players, headed by Armenia's Levon Aronian (28) and Russia's Vladimir Kramnik (35). Aronian is the leading player of the chess generation after the group of players (including Kramnik) who were dominant in the last decade. He has pushed his world ranking up to number three in recent months with a string of strong results and he carried this form into Moscow. He finished in a three-way tie for first with two younger players who are similarly putting pressure on the old guard: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (25) of Azerbaijan and Sergey Karjakin (20) now based in Russia. In a tense finish, Mamedyarov was leading with three wins and five draws, but lost his final game to Israeli veteran Boris Gelfand, allowing the other two to catch him. Final scores: Aronian, Karjakin & Mamedyarov 5½/9; Alexander Grischuk (Russia), Hikaru Nakamura (USA) & Wang Hao (China) 5; Kramnik 4½; Gelfand 3½; Alexei Shirov (Spain) 3; Pavel Elijanov (Ukraine) 2½. Aronian then went on to take out the 20-player World Blitz Championship on 24½/38.
Today's game from the 8th round of the Tal Memorial features a clash of generations with Karjakin(White) taking on Kramnik's once mighty Petroff Defence in a game worthy of Tal himself.
1.e4 e5
2.Nf3 Nf6
3.Nxe5 d6
4.Nf3 Nxe4
5.Nc3 ---
An increasingly popular approach to the Petroff is to make this challenge on the black knight and use the resulting lead in development to launch a dangerous kingside assault.
5.--- Nxc3
6.dxc3 Be7
7.Be3 O-O
8.Qd2 Nd7
9.O-O-O Ne5
10.h4 ---
The start of the kingside pawn storm.
10.--- c6
11.c4 ---
A useful move to inhibit counterplay – increasing central control, stopping ...Qa5 and blocking the a2-e6 diagonal.
11.--- Be6
12.Ng5 Bf5
The pawn grab 12 ... Nxc4 13 Qd3 Bxg5 14 hxg5 g6 opens the h-file and weakens the dark squares around the black king.
13.Kb1 Re8
14.f3! h6
15.Be2! ---
Part of the plan conceived by the previous move - to play g2-g4 and storm the black king. Accepting the sacrifice 15 ... hxg5 16 g4 Be6 17 hxg5 would be too dangerous given the ready access of heavy pieces to the h-file e.g. 17... Qc7(?) 18 f4 Nxc4 19 Bxc4 Bxc4 20 Qh2 f6 21 g6! Kf8 22 Qh8+ Bg8 23 Rh7 Bd8 24 Rdh1! Rxe3 25 Qxg8+! Kxg8 26 Rh8#.
15.--- d5
16.g4 Bg6
17.f4 dxc4
18.Qc3! Nd3!
19.f5! ---
Both players are channelling the spirit of Tal: “They can only take them one at a time!”. Here both 19 Qxc4? Nxb2! 20 Kxb2 Bf6+ 21 Kb1 Qe7! and 19 cxd3 Bxg5 20 hxg5 Rxe3 give Black dangerous counter-chances.
19.--- Bxg5
20.fxg6 Rxe3
21.gxf7+ Kf8
22.Qxc4 Rxe2?
Missing two possible chances to hang on: a) 22 ... Bxh4 23 Bxd3 Bf6 trying to keep the white pieces out or b) 22 ... b5!? 23 Qxc6 Rxe2 24 hxg5 Rc8! 25 Rxd3 Rxc6 26 Rxd8+ Kxf7 27 c3 hxg5 with a worse but possibly defendable ending. Now the remaining minor pieces come off leaving the black king in a draught.
23.hxg5 Qxg5
This time 23... b5 24 Qb3! Qd5! 25 Qxd5 cxd5 26 Rxd3 Kxf7 27 gxh6 gxh6 28 Rxd5 is worse than the ending in b) above. However the alternative is slaughter.
24.Qxd3 Qe3
25.Qh7 Qe4
26.Qg8+ Ke7
27.Qxg7 Qxc2+
28.Ka1 Rf8
With b2 defended Black has no ammo left.
29.Rhf1 Rd2
30.Rfe1+ Re2
31.Qc3! ---
Threatening 32 Rxe2+ Qxe2 33 Re1 to which there is no answer..
31.--- Kxf7
32.Qf3+ Resigns
1-0
Solution: 1 Bh7+ Kh8 2 Nexf7+! Bxf7 (2...Rxf7 3 Re8+ Rf8 4 Rxf8+ Bg8 5 Rxg8#) 3 Nxf7+ Rxf7 4 Re8+ Rf8 5 Rxf8#.